Fluency of visual processing explains prejudiced evaluations following categorization of concealable identities

Abstract

Prejudice arises from the categorizations people make upon perceiving others. To date, however, there has been little progress toward understanding how metacognitive processes underlying categorization contribute to prejudice. In two studies, we tested whether processing fluency – the speed with which targets are categorized – explains prejudiced evaluations related to concealable (sexual orientation) and overt (race) social identities. In Study 1, targets categorized as lesbian/gay were evaluated more negatively than targets categorized as straight, and evaluative differences were explained by the fluency with which targets were processed. In Study 2, we replicated our initial findings about the mediating role of processing fluency in evaluations related to sexual orientation categorizations, but found no evidence that fluency explains evaluations related to race categorizations. These findings provide a framework for understanding the perceptual underpinnings of interpersonal prejudice.